


Styrofoam Stars

by st4rsh1ne



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Album: Plastic Beach (Gorillaz), F/M, Phase Three (Gorillaz)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/st4rsh1ne/pseuds/st4rsh1ne
Summary: A midnight escape goes awry, and your boat somehow crashes on an island of trash in the middle of the ocean. It is there you find two estranged members of Gorillaz, constructing the band's newest album. As much as you'd love to go home, you're forced to stay on the island, which proves to be difficult. But in the midst of all the music, whales, boogiemen, pirates, and the infamous Murdoc...you find sanctuary in a certain blue-haired individual with a melodica and jet black rhinestone eyes.
Relationships: Stuart "2D" Pot/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	1. On Your Own

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: wooOOOAAHH YET ANOTHER STORY i've just been busy lately lmao but YEEEEHAW here it is!!!! this has been in the works for a while now and i'm very excited to see where this story goes lmao i'm just a big simp for phase 3 gorillaz honestly. ANYWAY i hope you enjoy this story and i hope you keep reading!!!!! :] <333333

You rolled your eyes, gazing boredly out your bedroom window from the edge of your bed.

Some vacation this was turning out to be.

The sky was dark. Your room was dark; illuminated only by the glow from the moon in the open window. Outside it was quiet except for the sound of gently crashing waves, some crickets and windy, rustling trees. You were all alone in the beach apartment you'd recently moved into, and even worse; even though it was approaching 2 in the morning, you couldn't sleep at all.

What was there to do then?

You glanced over at your cell phone, laying motionless on your bedside table.

Should you...?

You shook your head, dismissing the thought. No, it was too late for that now.

You were on your own now. Isn't that what you wanted?

You looked back to the window. No point in thinking about that again. Tired of the silence in the room, you got up and walked over to your radio sitting on your dresser near your TV.

Faintly you began to hear a bassline. As you turned it up, it became all too familiar to you. You smiled, memories from the past filling your brain at the sound.

"Feel Good Inc", from Gorillaz' 2005 album "Demon Days".

You loved that song. No matter how many times you heard it, every time felt like the first.

That's just how Gorillaz were for you. They were your favorite band for a reason. They were special.

"Windmill, windmill, for the land  
Turn forever hand in hand  
Take it all in on your stride  
It is ticking, falling down..."

The dream-like state of the chorus, mixed with the crashing of the waves, made you feel a lot better. But once the song faded away into the night, swiftly replaced by the next song, you realized...

You were still bored.

...Until suddenly you got an idea.

You stepped over to your bedroom door and slipped on your shoes that were laying next to the doorway. You grabbed your favorite jacket and put it on, even though you were still wearing pajamas under it.

But it didn't matter. You'd be back in a flash anyways. And then, hopefully, you'd be able to get some sleep. But right now you had other plans.

After scurrying as quietly as possible through the apartment complex halls and down the steps leading to the beach, you saw it; a small boat, with a motor in the back, the kind you'd see a fisherman in, except you weren't going fishing.

You'd rented the boat for a couple days now, and you'd been thinking about going out to sea on it. Just to look around maybe. Just sit there. Taking in the scenery and that. Like going for a drive, except instead it would be...Going for a float, maybe? A row?

Carefully you stepped inside the boat, the bottom of it trembling under your footsteps, causing ripples in the water. That made you nervous, but once you were in, you sat down, and you were alright. You untied the rope that kept it anchored to the pier, and before you knew it, the motor was roaring to life, and you were off.

You sat facing the motor, looking back at the beach and your apartment as it became farther and farther away. You turned around, looking at the other sights, taking in the other senses. Rocky cliffs surrounding the beach faded out of view. The waves were far away, but you could still hear them stretching out and hitting the shore, along with the low whirring of the motor behind you. Suddenly, your eyelids were heavy. You closed your eyes for just a moment, which didn't seem like that long...

Until they opened again, and you found yourself in a completely different scene.

Your boat was at a complete stop. Rain was pouring down from the sky like bullets. Thunder boomed from up above, striking marks into the now much darker sky. Startled into sobriety, you tried to start the motor again...but to no avail. The waves that were once gentle were now rough and hostile, jostling your boat across the sea. At this point, you were starting to panic. Frantically, you looked around, searching for something, anything, you could use to your advantage. But there was nothing, only ocean water and the raging storm.

You tried sitting up a little more, which proved to be difficult, as the floor of the boat was now unstable. One more time you attempted to turn on the motor, and, much to your surprise...Your boat jerked into motion, barreling in a straight line in the... opposite direction you'd wanted to go. As the storm continued, you watched the scene around you fly past...

Until once again your boat came to a complete and abrupt halt.

And oddly enough, you can't remember anything else happening after that.


	2. Crash Landing

You could hear things before you could see them. Your eyes wouldn't open yet.

Waves crashing; calmly, not too rough. Seagulls squawking as they flew by into the distance. Footsteps, that seemed to be getting closer and closer...

"What in the..?!?! SHIT!" A voice could be heard standing over you. It was rough; like the voice of an older British guy. You couldn't help but feel like you've heard it before.

Another set of footsteps approached.

"'oo's 'at?" Great, another voice now at your side. This one was different than the other one. It was soft, just with a strange, somewhat high-pitched British accent. It sounded familiar too...

"Fuck knows! Is it alive?"

You didn't really appreciate being referred to as an "it". Out of retaliation, you forced your eyes to flutter open.

You immediately had to squint, as the sun seemed to be looking down straight at you along with the others, who you could now finally see. On your right, there was a man, in a white shirt and jeans, with a red bandanna around his neck, and a hat that looked like one a ship captain would wear. The only odd thing about him was his face. His nose looked like it'd been through the ringer, one of his pupils was bright red, and his skin...He had green skin! The sight of this unsightly individual was enough to get your body into motion. With a scream, you sat up and tried to rapidly scoot yourself away from these two strange men, sand spraying in every direction as you did so.

"Shit! It lives!" The green one chuckled.

"Where am I?!" You yelled out a question, a feeling of fear quickly washing over you. "Who are you?!"

"Who am I? Really?" He placed a hand on his heart, faking a disappointed frown. "Surely you must know! Come on, take a guess!"

Was this some kind of sick game?!

It was hard to form a coherent thought in such a frightening situation, but you tried your best, when suddenly it hit you.

"...M-Murdoc Niccals?"

You knew this odd sod seemed familiar! All along, it was none other than the Gorillaz bassist himself. He flashed you a pleased grin, revealing sharp, odd looking teeth. "Ah! Right-o!"

"Quit messin' wif 'er. I think she's scared."

You looked over to the fellow standing on Murdoc's left after hearing him speak. He stood tall, his long legs clad in a faded, beat-up pair of blue jeans, wearing a striped shirt that was ripped in some places. He had a sailor's hat sitting atop his head, nested into his hair, that was just as blue and spiky as ever. His eyes were round and black as night. But somehow, he didn't scare you.

"2D!"

He was always your favorite.

He gave you a gentle smile, seemingly happy that you recognized him too.

"Well," Murdoc cleared his throat before 2D could get another word in, like he usually did. "Allow me to shed some, er, light on the situation." He smirked, strutting over closer to you as he began to speak. "My dear lady, you now find yourself on one of the finest vacation spots in the world! WELCOME," He spread out his arms, letting you get a good look at the island you were on. "TO THE PLASTIC BEACH!"

It was, quite literally, a plastic beach. An island covered with trash and gunk, a huge structure that looked like some strange tower house right smack dab in the middle of it, which also included a lighthouse, as if the trash heap weren't enough.

You scratched your head. "Um...It's...?" A dump, you wanted to say. "...Something."

"Isn't it though?" Murdoc seemed quite fond of it, however. "Now, love, you may be wondering why we're here. But the question on my mind right now is," he leaned down to where you could hear his voice turn sinister, while his tone remained scarily friendly. "how in the hell did you find this place, hm?"

You leaned back, biting your lip with anxiety. "I-I was in my boat, I was..." You glanced over while trying to explain, suddenly seeing something on the shore that greatly alarmed you.

"MY BOAT!"

You scrambled over to the sad heap of wreckage that was once your trusty sailboat, erasing every bit of hope you had that you'd be able to leave. On your knees in the sand, you mourned.

"Looks more like firewood to me." Murdoc let out one of his terrible laughs. "We can burn that later."

"No! I have to fix it! It's the only way I can get out of here!"

"Wooooah, luv, hold on! Nobody said you had to go anywhere! In fact I'd prefer it if you didn't." He muttered that last part, giving you a wink, which made you cringe. "I was only asking because we're, ehm, doing some top secret Gorillaz business here, you see. We don't want anyone to know just yet."

You raised an eyebrow. "But Gorillaz has been on hiatus for years."

"Ah, but not anymore!"

For the first time in this whole chapter, you smiled, your eyes wide with wonder. You were totally starstruck. "Wow! T-That's amazing!"

"On another note...I don't believe I ever caught your name, luv."

"Oh." You cringed at yourself. Of course you'd forget to introduce yourself. "My name's Y/N."

2D, who was standing shyly by your side while you spoke to Murdoc, nodded politely. "'s very n-nice t'meet yew, Y/N."

"Yeh, yeh, faceache, don't strain y'self." Murdoc was quick to dismiss him. "Y/N! Lovely name, that is. Very glad you could join us. Pleasure's all yours, I'm sure." His hands collided in a singular clap, signaling the conversation was coming to a finale. "Well! We'd better start getting you comfortable, seeing as you're going to be with us for a while. I'll leave that to 2D here. I've got some, er, business to attend to." Giving you one final little wave, Murdoc turned around and walked off.

You couldn't believe this was actually happening! You went from having a shitty vacation to now all of a sudden having front row seats to the grand return of the Gorillaz!

A hand extended downwards in your direction, causing you to look up.

You were met by 2D's dark, kind eyes, and a shy smile appearing on his face. "'ere, I'll 'elp yew up."

Returning his smile, you took his hand, and allowed him to pull you up from the sand until you were on your feet, dusting off your pants.

"Now, ah, 'm sure you 'ave some questions you want t'ask."

You nodded, still smiling. "Oh, of course. Several. But I'll save them for later."

There were more important things to do now.


	3. On an Island in the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESS I FINALLY UPDATED LMFAO remember to comment if you enjoy!!!! thank you for reading!!!!! :] <33

There was nothing but ocean for miles, from where you could see on the island's shore, but still, somehow, you were fascinated.

It was as if the ocean had no beginning, and no end. 

It made you wonder just how far out you really were.

There was a lighthouse nearby, on the first level of the island. It wasn't very tall, but it had an interesting design. Down the way from where your boat had crashed, there was a pier, resting under some fake looking palm trees. It looked like a place where you'd see different boats come through. But how could that be? They weren't expecting any visitors, were they?

The rest just looked like assorted heaps of garbage, which seemed to only interest the pelicans loitering by the pier. 

You'd seen enough. You looked up at the big structure above.

"Have you ever been up there?" You asked 2D.

"The very top?" He scratched his head. "Once, I fink."

You glanced around until your eyes were set upon some wooden stairs in the distance.

"Well, 'm s'posed t'be showin' you around, so I'd, erm, better start doing that." He walked ahead of you, leading the way. "These stairs here take you to a door, 'n the door takes you to the lift."

"The lift?"

"'s like an elevator," he explained. "Except it's rubbish."

You nodded. Makes sense.

Carefully going up the stairs, which creaked creepily under each of your steps, and passing the pelicans, who gave you funny looks, you finally reached the door. You both had reached at the same time to open it, but 2D insisted on opening it for you. He said it was his duty as your tour guide. You just rolled your eyes and smiled.

The room that held the lift was dark and crowded with assorted items against the walls. 

"'Ere, I know 'ow to work it." 2D opened it up, allowing both of you to pile inside. It was a very small space, so you were practically pressed together. It was a little strange, but you weren't gonna complain. 

2D fidgeted with a few buttons on one of the lift's walls; the one wall that wasn't covered with mess and graffiti. 

"Right then," he stepped back (or as back as he could) from the panel. "Watch y'self."

"Huh?" Suddenly, the lift shot straight up like a lightning bolt, until in no time at all the destination had been reached. The door opened up, revealing a different room. Once you'd stepped out into the room to take in the scene, the lift closed and shot away elsewhere.

"I like comin' up here sometimes. When Murdoc lets me, that is."

The room was much brighter compared to the first one you'd been in. The walls were bright blue, there was a big, long window in which the sun lit up the whole space. A bookshelf was built into the wall next to the lift, lined with several different genres of books, but most were about pirates or fish tank maintenance. The latter must've been for the fish tank that sat near the window. The small group of fish inside were bathing peacefully in the sunlight. There was a staircase in the middle of the room, but you didn't know where it lead to.

"Up there's our recording studio," 2D answered the question in your mind, pointing upwards. "We'll be recording the album there. The view from up there's pretty nice if you're into ocean water and trash heaps."

You laughed, which made him smile a little.

"Y'wanna see my room?"

You nodded. "Sure!"

Before the two of you could turn back around, the lift had returned on its own. The door opened with a quick "thwap!", revealing two figures standing there.

One was very small and pointing a huge gun at your face. The other was Murdoc.

"Eep! What the-?!" 

You got a good look at the small figure. Its cold, emotionless stare was giving you the creeps. But once you saw its face, something clicked.

"...Noodle?"

"Ah, Y/N! I forgot to introduce you two. Silly me." Murdoc seemed pretty light-hearted about this whole ocurrence. "Right, now, put it down." He instructed, and the Noodle-like entity lowered their arsenal. "This here, is technology at its finest!" He gave it a swift, proud pat on the back.

"...Right." You raised an eyebrow, still not feeling entirely comfortable.

"It's a cyborg! Built by yours truly, the genius. Designed to ensure top notch security and look exactly like our dear Noodle, bless her soul."

Oh. So it wasn't Noodle. But it was strange, because the robot looked so much like her...

You glanced nervously at 2D, whose eyes were just glued to the floor. He looked tense.

"Well, don't mind us, we were just passin' through." They left the lift and walked past the two of you. "We've got some things to do in the studio. Preparations n' stuff. We're gonna start recording the album tomorrow! Everything's gotta be in tip-top shape!" He grinned. "You two crazy kids can run along now."

Say less, you thought. Immediately you and 2D were back in the lift, ready to head off.

"Oh, and Y/N," Murdoc added. "If y'ever need me, y'know where to find me." He winked, doing one of his signature laughs before the lift's door shut and all was quiet.

"Sheesh." You cringed, the memory of Murdoc's wink lingering in your mind. Sometimes he tried too hard.

Without a word, 2D pushed the button to go to his room. Instantly the lift lurched way downward, almost knocking you off your feet. But you made it.

"'ere it is. Room sweet room." 

One thing was obvious to you from the start. This place was a mess. Assorted instruments and technical gizmos were scattered on the floor, the lighting in the room was dark and almost gloomy, and there was only one, extremely small circular window. But there were some pictures on the otherwise bare and metallic walls, and he had a TV nearby.

"'s not much, but it's th'best I've got." 2D smiled modestly.

You turned to look at him, your head tilted slightly to the side. "How come your room's all the way down here?" You figured that was a much more polite question than "don't you ever pick up around here?!". 

"It's not that bad." He said, not really answering your question. "Y'just gotta be careful of-"

All of a sudden, the room began to rumble, and a terrible bellowing noise sounded from the outside.

"Waaaahhh!!" 2D yelped in terror and immediately dove under the bed that lay beneath the window. 

"Jesus, that was loud." You were only a little bit shaken. You climbed onto the bed and gazed out the window, trying to find the source of the ruckus. "Wha-?! This room is underwater! And that sounded like a-"

"WHALE!" 2D cried. "I hate whales, I hate whales!"

You raised an eyebrow. He actually sounded very distressed. You pulled the curtains over the window and turned back around, sitting on the bed's edge. "It's okay, he's gone now."

"Thank goodness." He sighed in relief, poking his head out from under the bed, where you found him staring right up at you. His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "A-ah...Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

He got up and joined you on the bed, sitting to your far right. He stared at the floor and twiddled his thumbs nervously.

You spoke softly, as to not startle him. "How long have you been here? Dealing with all this?"

2D gazed over at you slowly. "I've lost count of the days."

There was a looming feeling that not everything was totally right here, in this place. When they first found you, you were practically jumping at the chance to hang out with the Gorillaz. But after seeing a robot copy of Noodle point a gun at your face and seeing 2D so clearly unhappy, you weren't so sure. You felt almost uncomfortable. This prompted you to ask another question, that you also could've asked yourself.

"You don't really want to be here, do you?"

He shook his head. "I never planned to be 'ere, anyway."

A pit of anxiety rested at the bottom of your stomach. "Me neither."

2D let out a low hum in reply. A moment of silence ensued.

"Y/N?"

You blinked. You weren't used to hearing him say your name just yet. "Yeah?"

"You shouldn't be here."

Your brow furrowed and you looked down, though you knew it was true.

"But," he added quietly. "I'm glad you are."

You looked back up, meeting his eyes, and returned the smile. 

"Maybe I could stay with you. I don't really feel like hanging around Murdoc." You shook your head. "He's funny, but he gives me the creeps."

He nodded. "'Course. It's nice t'have company."

You flashed a quick smile at him in gratitude. 

You didn't know what the future would hold, but it was at least reassuring that you wouldn't be alone.


	4. Hope From Above {Orchestral Intro}

You awoke very slowly that next morning. As soon as your brain woke up along with you, your eyes fluttered open. Right away you noticed your back hurt a bit, causing you to frown. You had some pillows and blankets, but that barely made 2D's floor any more comfortable to sleep on. Groggily, you sat up, trying to re-adjust to your new surroundings.

Unlike yesterday you couldn't hear any outside chatter; no seagulls, waves, nor sand. Just ocean. Deep, soundless ocean.

You presumed you were going to be hearing a lot of that.

You looked to your left, and were suddenly eye-level with a peacefully sleeping 2D. Softly, he snored, hugging his pillow as if it were an old friend, his normally spiky blue hair falling still ever-so-slightly over the side of his face. That was the calmest looking you'd seen him so far.

You knew it was probably weird of you to stare, but...

You smiled. 

He looked adorable.

Suddenly, his snoring stopped. His nose twitched, indicating he had woken up. You jumped at this sudden movement, trying to remain as still as possible, praying he wouldn't think you were a creeper.

One of his eyes opened first, looking right at you.

"Erm," you smiled nervously. "Good morning."

His other eye opened, then they both blinked a couple times. He yawned, then lay his head back on his pillow. "G'morning, Y/N."

You were happy. He looked like he'd slept well. "Are you hungry?" You inquired kindly. "I kind of am."

That seemed to inspire him to sit up straight, suddenly alert. "Why, have y'got anyfin'?"

You raised an eyebrow. You weren't expecting that reply. "Gee, how long has it been since you've eaten something?"

"Uhhh..." He counted on his fingers, thinking, until he concluded with an answer. "Two days."

"Two days?!" You were shocked. "Jesus, doesn't Murdoc feed you anything?!"

"Sometimes. 'e usually forgets to." he replied. "'e said if I eat too much it'll just make th' whale more inclined to eat me."

"Now, that's just-" Furious, you immediately sprang to your feet, stomping over to the lift, all while avoiding stepping on various items in his room.

2D looked anxious. "W-Where y'going?"

"I'm going to get you something!" 

"No, Y/N! The whale!" He pleaded, clinging to your leg to prevent you from leaving. "W'bout th' whale?! I don't wanna get eaten!"

You flinched from the sudden contact. You tried to keep moving, but 2D wouldn't budge. You groaned, standing idle for a moment to look down at him. "Come on, D, don't be silly."

"Y/N," he pleaded more quietly. "If Murdoc catches you bringin' me stuff you'll get in trouble."

You just smiled. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. Now, you just wait here, okay?"

He must've realized his efforts were futile, because he let go, sitting down on the floor, never breaking his gaze at you. "Okay."

You pried open the door of the lift and stepped inside. A few button pushes later, you were on a higher floor. When you stepped out of the lift you were on the beach again, and you saw the sun for the first time that day. It had to be afternoon by now. The sun was well up. You must've woken up a bit later than you thought.

Your eyes narrowed, both from the glare of the sun and from the frustration of not knowing where to find what you were looking for.

Suddenly, coming from nearby, you heard talking; between two voices. One sounded like Murdoc. The other, you didn't recognize.

You were unsure whether you should go see what was going on. 

While you were thinking about that, your eyes stumbled upon a crate sitting by the pier, labelled in black marker, of all things.

C-rations. Canned food, but it was edible.

You grinned. Perfect!

You were about to go into stealth mode and make your way toward it until you stopped dead in your tracks. The conversation had started up again, this time with Murdoc making notes to who was most likely Cyborg Noodle.

"Alright; orchestra, check." You could hear him bring his hands together in a proud clap. "Looks like we won't be needin' Faceache today. Give 'em the day off. Sad sod."

You didn't really like hearing him talk about 2D like that, but you shrugged it off, until you heard him say one more thing.

"Oh, also, remind me to kidnap those other fellas once we're done with this first song. Pencil them in for next month perhaps, eh?"

...What?

You were frozen. You couldn't believe what you'd just heard. You didn't even have time to react when you heard footsteps coming closer to you...

"Ah, there she is! Y/N!" Murdoc greeted you. "Hey, if you see 2D around, tell him we don't need him today. Or any day for that matter," he muttered that last part in a lower tone. "Ciao!"

He and Cyborg Noodle passed you to get to the lift, then, as if they were never there, they were gone.

Suddenly, you were feeling a lot less comfortable here. Even less than before.

Now that Murdoc was gone, the coast was clear to grab a handful of C-rations and book it back toward the lift.

Before you entered the lift again, arms full of various foodstuffs, you took one last sad glance toward the shore; at none other than your trashed sailboat, still looking as broken as ever.

The sky was looking grayer, all of a sudden.

It didn't take you long to get back to 2D's room. His face lit up happily as you dropped the canned foods onto his bed.

"That should be enough to last us for a while." You sat on the floor in front of the bed, taking a second to just sit still.

2D was next to you, already ripping the top off one of the cans and eating its contents, which appeared to be saltine crackers. It took him a good minute or so to notice you weren't eating.

"Y/N? 're you okay?"

You stared blankly at the floor.

He sounded a little worried now as he tried to ask again. "Y/N-"

"This is all wrong."

He blinked. "Wha?"

You looked at him, defeated. "This is all just really wrong, y'know? None of us should be here. Doing this. It all just feels wrong."

He didn't say anything. But you knew that he knew you were right.

"Did Murdoc kidnap you?"

2D munched thoughtfully on another saltine cracker, then nodded. 

Your voice was surprised, yet sympathetic. "What happened?"

He tried to think. "M' memory's s'bit fuzzy, but...I remember I was in Beirut. Y'know, on some kinda self-searching mission. After Gorillaz went on a break. After..."

His voice trailed off. His eyes, though dark and vacant, said everything to you.

"Noodle." You finished the sentence. You knew all too well what had happened to her years ago.

He nodded again. "So I was there, in my flat, when all 'f a sudden everythin' goes all black." He shrugged. "'n I woke up here."

You shook your head. "That sounds awful."

"But I know 'e didn't kidnap you, 'cause he didn't recognize you when y'showed up." He pondered. "So...'ow did you get here, Y/N?"

You thought about what brought you to the island. Then your mind interrupted it with the thought of your crashed boat. The graying sky. What Murdoc said. The misery of it all.

"I..."

And the sudden realization that you didn't know how you'd get home.

"...I don't know!"

Your eyes stung, filling with tears. Without another word you wrapped your arms around 2D, burying your face into his shoulder. Though startled at first, after a second he hesitantly put a comforting hand on your back. He didn't pull away as you cried, letting out your frustrations.

"There, there." He did his best to comfort you. "'s okay.

At the same time, you both could hear noise emerging from somewhere up above. Not a bad noise, though; it sounded like instruments.

"Oi, Y/N, listen!" He softly encouraged you. "It sounds like 's comin from th' studio!"

You stopped your sobbing for just one moment, and weakly lifted your head up to listen. It was faint at first, but you could hear it better after a few seconds.

Violins. A chorus of them.

A string ensemble, letting out the most wonderful tune. You knew up there they were probably playing for Murdoc, but at that moment, you felt them playing for you.

2D never let you go as you both listened intently. 

You wondered if he felt just as moved as you did.

You frowned as the music started to fade, only lasting for about a minute. But it left you with something you were lacking beforehand. 

Somehow, it left you with hope.

2D smiled at you when he noticed you were no longer crying. "Lovely, wasn't it?"

You gave a small smile in return, nodding. "Thanks."

Now that you were feeling better, you reached an arm up over the bed to grab a can of saltines. You ripped the lid off just as 2D had done and chowed down, because you hadn't eaten for some time, and boy, were you hungry.

2D just shrugged and smiled, and the two of you ate together.


	5. {Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before this chapter starts i just wanna say i'm so happy with all the attention this fic has gotten, i never expected this many people to read it!!! i'm so happy people are enjoying it because i really enjoy writing it!!!! :D as always thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy <3

You found it hard to believe that you'd been on the island for two weeks now, and just today was your first time ever going in the recording studio.

It was arguably the most interesting place on the island. Assorted instruments on the walls, a long table outside the recording room lined with different buttons and switches that you knew better than to mess with, walls made entirely of soundproof foam (although, you couldn't see why; who was even around on this island to snoop in on recording sessions anyway?). It blew your mind, gave you a feeling of importance, to be allowed in such a place.

But then again, you were only in there because 2D was busy making the backing beat to the album's next song, and you had wanted to tag along. You sat by his side, watching intently as he pushed buttons on his synthesizer.

"So after th' trumpets 'n stuff are done, then th' bass and th' drums kick in, see?" First and foremost, he held down a key on the far right of his keyboard he had plugged into the synth that activated a high sound that lingered in the background of the track. He then hit a button higher up on the synthesizer, activating a low, rather simple drum beat. Another button he hit at first made no noise, until he pressed a few notes on the far left of the keyboard. After a moment, the synthesizer began to play back the notes in sync with the drums and the synth.

You were in awe. "You can really just do that with a few buttons?!"

2D smiled at your reaction, pushing another button after a few seconds, adding an electronic symbal to the mix to aid the drum beat, until finally the climax hit. The bass suddenly became mimiced by a high-pitched synth, and the drums became louder, filling the studio with wonderful sound.

You'd never seen anything like it before. So this was how music was made!

"'n tha's pretty much all there is to it." 2D sat back, pausing the track for now. "Now we jus' wait 'til we record th' vocals later."

Still in amazement, your gaze was fixed on him. "It's amazing how you can do that all on your own," you marveled. "You're amazing, 2D."

He smiled shyly, looking humbled. "'m not as dumb as I look, eh?"

You gave him a pat on the back. "Aw, you're not dumb at all!"

2D's expression shifted to one of sincerity. "Y-Y'really fink so?"

Before you could respond, the studio door busted open, causing both of you to rapidly turn your heads.

"Ah, good AFTERNOON, crew!" Murdoc exclaimed upon seeing the two of you, making no effort to see if he broke anything with that door slam. "I assume you two have been, er, busy in here, eh?" He laughed one of his signature laughs.

You weren't a big fan of what he was implying in that statement, but after being on the island a while, you knew better than to start anything with Murdoc. "As a matter of fact, 2D just finished the beat for the song." You stated.

"Oh, good! 'Cuz the collaborators are right outside."

You narrowed your eyes, and a crowd of people began to file inside the room behind Murdoc. About eight people shuffled in, all holding brass instruments, and behind them came a final figure who it took no time for you to recognize.

You looked over at 2D. "Is that Snoop Dogg?"

"Oh," 2D looked up, then looked back down, as if he hadn't even noticed before. "Yeah."

Meeting famous people was probably just part of the job for 2D, but it certainly wasn't for you. You watched starstruck as Snoop, tall and confident, entered the recording room with the brass orchestra. Murdoc stared at 2D, signaling to him that he was needed.

He turned to look at you. "I only do th' backin' vocals on this song, but-"

"I still wanna see!" You nodded your head excitedly. 

He smiled, then looked at Murdoc as if he were asking if you could stay. Murdoc just rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, just don't touch what you can't afford, eh?"

So don't touch anything; got it. Oh well. 2D joined the others in the recording room, and everything was ready to go. Murdoc sat next to you, looking like a true producer, in front of all those buttons, knobs and switches. You kept a good distance between you and him, though, just in case he tried any funny business.

"3, 2, 1...action!"

That was probably the wrong term to use, but whatever, you weren't about to correct him. The minute he started recording, one trumpet from the brass ensemble started up, followed by another, until the other instruments chimed in...

Until they were halted by the introduction of the beat you had just seen 2D make. 

_"Gorillaz and the boss Dogg, planet of the apes,"_

You sat up in your seat, smiling ear-to-ear at 2D, giving him a thumbs-up. It's a good thing his mic wasn't on yet, it appeared he was trying to hold back a giggle at how excited you looked.

It took a couple more minutes, but you finally heard him; frankly, he just gave a quiet _"oooh, just like that"_ in the background, but immediately it sent a shiver down your spine. You always knew he was a great singer, but you really feel the impact of just how good he is in person. And this was about as in-person as you could get.

2D didn't give himself enough credit. He really was amazing.

_"The revolution will be televised."_

It took a couple takes to get the song just right, working on the song into the early evening, but the entire time, you never got bored. When you were finally done, you and 2D left together. As you headed down the steps from the studio, you could see through the window of the study that the sun was beginning to set onto the ocean.

"Well? What do you think? Didn't that go great?"

2D just yawned, sleepily rubbing his dark eyes. "I fink I'm exhausted, that's wot I fink."

You couldn't get that stupid smile off your face if you tried. Not only was he extremely talented and hardly even realized it, he was also criminally adorable. 

"Alright, D," you said. "Let's get you some rest."

You knew he'd need it, for tomorrow and the days ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA THAT WAS KINDA COOL but the next chapter will be more exciting i promise!! lmao stay tuned ily all <3


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